Activist, writer, designer and all around tattoo phenom Heidi Minx has spent tireless years working for social justice. She founded the non-profit Built on Respect, which is "dedicated to raising human rights awareness through journalism and hands on action." One of the organization's projects is the creation of a video series that tells the stories behind the tattoos of ex-political prisoners in the exile community in Dharamsala.

The series, "Tattoos and Human Rights Awareness," includes videos like the one above of Palden Gyatso, who was tattooed as a young monk in Central Tibet. [His tattoos were later removed by Chinese prison guards during the revolution.]

In the three years that I have been coming to the Tibetan community
of Dharamsala in India, I've been quietly observing the tattoos of the
people here.

In many cases, these tattoos mark the skin of former political
prisoners. In other cases, they amplify the desires of those Tibetans
born in exile to return to their homeland.

Tattoos themselves draw a very mixed reaction: fond admirers or
staunch critics, geography, generation, and religion all play a role.
Regardless of these factors, tattoos are like the proverbial picture
which is worth a thousand words.